In a catastrophic aviation event involving a downed aircraft, a flight recorder is one of the most useful tools for investigators to piece together the crucial moments leading up to the aircraft accident or incident to determine the cause of the crash. One type of flight recorder is a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) that records the audio environment of the flight deck of an aircraft. A CVR records conversations in the cockpit and communications between the cockpit crew and others such as air traffic control personnel on the ground. Another type of flight recorder is a flight data recorder (FDR) that records the status of and information about the electronic and mechanical equipment of the aircraft. A FDR records information such as flight parameters (e.g., altitude, speed, etc.) of the aircraft, and may include propulsion system information such as engine performance data, or other avionics information useful in assisting investigators to determine the cause of a crash.
A flight recorder is designed to withstand high impact forces and high temperatures such that the flight recorder is likely to survive the conditions of a crash. However, while a flight recorder is designed to survive a crash, there is still a probability that the flight recorder may not survive if the crash conditions are extreme enough. Furthermore, a flight recorder is only useful for investigators if the flight recorder can be located after a crash. For example, when an aircraft crashes at sea and is submerged in water, locating the flight recorder affixed to the downed aircraft can take weeks to months, and even years, and can be costly in terms of the amount of money and time spent in locating the flight recorder. Even when an aircraft crashes on land, it may take significant effort and time to locate the flight recorder, for example, when the crash site is an unfamiliar or rough terrain. Such delay in locating the flight recorder not only frustrates investigators but can also risk the safety of other aircrafts. For example, when a catastrophic aviation event is caused by a design flaw in an aircraft component, the delay in identifying the problematic aircraft component can risk the safety of other aircrafts that employ the same type of aircraft component.
To improve the chances of locating a flight recorder after a catastrophic aviation event, a flight recorder can be designed to deploy and separate from the aircraft during a crash. However, most deployable flight recorders are designed to deploy from the aircraft even at the slightest possibility of an aircraft crash, resulting in a high risk of false-positive crash detections. This can cause non-commanded or unintended deployment of the flight recorder, and in some instances, has resulted in injuries to maintenance workers while the aircraft is being serviced on the ground.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems, individually and collectively.